French authorities are delaying a final decision concerning the Rio Tagus. At this time, they are contemplating exporting the old freighter under the regulations on transboundary movements of waste, but they do not respond to two essential questions.

Can the Rio Tagus be exempt from the application of European regulations on ship dismantling? Can the Rio Tagus be towed away in compliance with requirements on maritime safety and environmental protection?

October 2015. The BBC Shanghai, owned by Germany-based Briese Schiffahrts GmbH & Co KG, is making the headlines of the world’s maritime shipping news. She has been selected by the French nuclear operator AREVA to ship to Australia radioactive waste reprocessed in Normandy at the La Hague plant. However, the ship had a bad record regarding technical deficiencies as attested by the maritime authorities of all continents; she had been detained three times in Bilbao (Spain), Gladstone (Australia) and in March 2015 in Honolulu (Hawaii, United States). The international mobilization to demand the chartering of a safe ship will do nothing about it, the BBC Shanghai loads 25 tons of radioactive waste and leaves Cherbourg (France) on October 15 for Port Kembla near Sydney. Indonesia has denied her access to its waters. She arrived at Port Kembla on December 5 after a 25,000 km trip.

Bangladesh has the most deficient ratio – 42 ships – 3 deaths.
Indonesia has the best productivity. 81 illegal fishing boats were demolished in 15 seconds.

Palau is the trendy funeral flag this quarter. 11 ships were deflagged to Palau just prior to be sent for scrapping. 17 of the 45 ships deflagged for their last voyage belonged to European shipowners.

The purchase price offered by shipbreaking yards in the second quarter of 2017 is around 350 US$ per ton in the Indian Sub-continent and around 250 US$ in China and in Turkey. The cumulated tonnage of scrapped ships is 1.6 million tons. The tanker Catherine Knudsen built in 1992 in Nagasaki, Norwegian-owned and Norwegian-flagged, was sold for more than 8 million US$. She was deflagged to Palau for her last voyage.

236 meters long. The North Sea Producer, prized possession of Maersk, the number one ship owner in the world, has served the petroleum industry in the North Sea well for 18 years.
This former tanker was launched in 1984 in Denmark under the name Dagmar Maersk and was converted 12 years later into a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO). It was stationed in the Mc Chulloch oil field north of Aberdeen. The North Sea Producer retired in 2015 on the banks of the Tees next to the shipbreaking site of Able UK in Hartlepool where the former French aircraft carrier Clemenceau was demolished, and from there left Europe under tow. Maersk chose Bangladesh for the end of its life. In the last 9 years, 161 workers have been killed on the beaches of Chittagong. Maersk was not impeded by these facts. What really counts is selling at the best price. The scrappers of Bangladesh offered more than $6 million US for the North Sea Producer.

From January 1 to March 31, 2017, 225 ships out 240 were being demolished in India, in Bangladesh, in Pakistan, in China and in Turkey. 44 left for Asia for their last voyage under flags of financial or diplomatic convenience such as St. Kitts and Nevis, Palau, Togo, Niue or Mongolia. 76 ships had been built in Europe with European steel and Russian or Canadian asbestos. Only 5 ships are being broken up in European facilities.

⇒ On December 19, 2016, the European Union published its first list of approved ship recycling facilities.

– Germany keeps its hands clean. In the North Sea or the Baltic Sea, it does not offer any scrapping site for its fishing fleet, Navy vessels and container ships. It exports the sea waste to Turkey, India, Bangladesh and a bit in the Baltic States.

2016 has been branded with November 1st drama at Gadani, Pakistan, when the explosion of the FPSO (Floating Production Storage and offloading) tanker Aces ex-Federal 1 caused 28 losses of life, 4 missing and tens of badly wounded and burnt. The ex ship was at the time holding several thousands tons of residual bunker oil and a number of gas cylinders. Families in mourning will receive each 1.5 million rupees, i.e. 14, 000 US$.

Anywhere else, fires aboard during scrapping are spilling toxic fumes in the atmosphere while losses of life by falls of metal pieces, electric shocks, explosions and gas inhalations are common.

After having abandoned 517 containers fallen overboard the Svendborg Maersk on February 14, 2014 off Brest, the Danish shipping company Maersk is reoffending today with the wrecks of the Maersk Searcher and Maersk Shipper while they were sailing in a convoy from Denmark towards the demolition yards of Aliaga, Turkey. The 2 offshore supply tugs were towed by the Maersk Battler which was, according to informations collected by Robin des Bois, also doomed to be demolished in Turkey.

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Robin des Bois was founded in France in 1985 by pioneers of environmental protection. The NGO’s orientation is decided on by a board elected by the member’s General Assembly and carried out by 8 full-time staff members with multidisciplinary skills. Robin des Bois’ objective is the protection of Man and the Environment by means of all forms of research and non-violent action. Words are our only weapon. On ground investigations, bibliographic synthesis, publishing reports, press releases, letters to authorities, regular participation to a dozen institutional consulting groups and international conventions: we are at work with our grey matter, solid boots and a good dose of flair. We put forward technical, historical, geographical, sometimes philosophical arguments, with a strong will to remain concrete and constructive.
Robin des Bois is supported by a national and international network of supporters and professionals in areas such as the maritime community, anti-environmental criminality, risk management, waste and polluted sites. The NGO is not affiliated to any political party. Our campaigns require perseverance and are to be carried out over the long term. Robin des Bois also takes legal action and part took in the success of the historical law suit concerning the Erika oil spill, and such without the help of a lawyer. The NGO is in France accredited for the protection of the environment.